


To Protect and Serve

by AltruisticSkittles



Category: Thomas Sanders
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Angst, Angst and Humor, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Gen, I'll warn you when there is, Police AU, Probably safe to say there's going to be a lot of angst, Team Bonding, There will be violence but it's not the main focus of the fic, and a few ocs but they're not important really, list may change as time goes on, there's also a lot of hate for no reason at first, warning anxiety, warning death mention, warning self depreciation, warning weapons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-16
Updated: 2018-03-20
Packaged: 2019-03-19 08:16:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13700511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AltruisticSkittles/pseuds/AltruisticSkittles
Summary: What in the world made Virgil think he was cut out to be a police officer, let alone a secret agent of sorts?Guess he'll have to find out.





	1. New Beginnings (Part I)

**Author's Note:**

> Welp, I have no idea how this is going to turn out, but I've been thinking about this idea for a while now. I have such a soft spot for law enforcement AUs for some reason. I'm also a sucker for people learning how to be a team and found families so there's that.
> 
> Anyway, here it is! I'm unsure how long it will be, but I definitely have an ending in mind. We'll just have to see how long I decide to drag it out for~
> 
> \--  
> Chapter warnings: Self-deprecating thoughts, mention of human trafficking  
> Word Count: 1785

Virgil stared up at the large glass doors. His duffel bag slid off his shoulder. He caught it and readjusted the strap, checking for the sixth time to make sure it wasn’t being stolen by some shadow figure behind him. No, he concluded for the sixth time, it was his trim physique duping him.

As he stood on the marble stairs, people walked in and out of the building before him. Some ignored him and chattered away on their phones while others offered a friendly smile and greeting. Virgil ignored them all the same. He had to stop doing that.

Eventually.

It was on his to-do list, okay?

God, what was he doing here? He had no business even looking at this place, yet alone entering as a member. Perhaps he should turn back? Yeah, that’d be good. He could call them up and tell them he changed his mind.

Virgil spun around and started walking down the stairs. He stopped on the last step, staring at the sidewalk. God, he was such a failure. He couldn’t even go to a job like a normal human being. No wonder his family hated him.

But maybe… just maybe...

He ran a hand through his hair and groaned. He breathed in for four, held for eight, and exhaled for seven. Then, on the turn of his heel, he marched back up the stairs and through the revolving door.

Cleaning chemicals, mostly bleach, greeted his nose, and he heard shoes squeaking on the marble floor. People shuffled about, carrying paperwork and conversations. A few were standing in a corner laughing about something. Virgil did his best to convince himself they were laughing at a joke and not the man looking ready to fall apart entering the office space.

Virgil stepped up to a marble desk at the end of the opening with a receptionist typing away at a keyboard. Said person looked over their purple framed glasses and blew a strand of short black hair out of their face.

“Welcome to GrapeVine Inc. How may I help you?”

Virgil dug around in his bag, panicking a bit when he didn’t locate the item right away, and pulled out a crinkled white paper. He cleared his throat and tried to ditch the shake in his voice.

“W-why does a flamingo st-sleep on one leg?” He looked up and swallowed thickly.

The person smiled and held out a hand to shake. Virgil handed over the slip of paper instead, and the receptionist’s almond eyes scanned it over.

“Our new recruit, huh?” The person stood up and motioned for Virgil to follow. He prayed to every deity he could think of that this wasn’t some sort of trafficking ring in disguise. They stood in front of a marble door. The receptionist hit a button off to the side, and a light beep sounded. As the door slid open, they motioned for Virgil to step inside. Hesitantly, Virgil obliged. A key card flashed in front of a scanner, and a low tone sounded.

“Passcode?” The elevator droned.

“1-0-1-8.”

The elevator chirped, and the doors closed. It started its smooth ascent, leaving Virgil awkwardly patting his legs inside his pockets. He’d give anything for a pair of headphones right now.

“So-” Virgil jumped as they spoke- “you’re Virgil Andrews I’m guessing?”

“Y-yeah.” He looked down at the marble floor and pulled his hood up over his head.

The receptionist eyed him over and shook their head. “A bit jumpy, aren’t you?”

Virgil glared over at them and opened his mouth to speak, but the doors slid open and interrupted. The receptionist wasted no time walking out and motioning for Virgil to follow. He walked into a white walled hall, several doors with names written on them passing them by.

“Talyn,” the receptionist called out. “I have the new recruit you ordered.”

A person on a swivel chair, typing furiously on a computer, held up a finger to silence them. Their face twisted in concentration, and… did they stick their tongue out to the side a bit as they worked?

Talyn looked up, brown eyes poking out behind deep purple hair, and offered a cute yet formal smile. “Oh, thanks Frankie. I’ll take it from here.”

The receptionist- Frankie now Virgil could safely call- turned on their heel and walked back down the hallway. He went from watching the receptionist back to Talyn, who clicked their mouse and walked out from behind the desk. They offered a hand for him to shake. Virgil’s hand stayed in his pocket, and Talyn retracted theirs without a word.

“So, welcome to the Special Investigative and Defencive Execution Squad,” Talyn spoke. “Joan’s busy at the moment, but I can take you to them once their meeting is over in about-” they looked at the note before them, “ten minutes.”

“Thanks,” Virgil answered.

“You want anything to drink? Coffee? Water?” Talyn’s voice drew up every time they ended a suggestion.

“Uh-” (come on Virgil they’re offering)- “coffee please.”

“Good. We’ll start the tour with the break room then.” Talyn motioned for Virgil to follow. Virgil let out a low sigh. He noted right away how he stood nearly two heads above them and couldn’t help but smile a little.

The door to their right opened up to a bunch of cubicles and desks. Virgil froze at the door, not wanting to take another step into the crowded, lively room. Talyn stopped in their tracks and eyed Virgil over.

“Are you okay?” they asked.

Virgil shook his head and pulled his hoodie strings tighter. He kept his head down as he followed. Talyn raised an eyebrow but didn’t question it further. At the end of the wall stood a door labeled “break room". Virgil watched Talyn twist the knob and step inside. He eagerly entered with Talyn as they shut the door, leaving the noise outside as well.

The white walled room was fairly bare. White tiles looking freshly waxed covered the floor. The walls were a dull gray color with a stainless steel fridge and black countertop in the back. The coffee machine held a half brewed pot of coffee, with styrofoam cups and mugs off to the side.

And sitting in the center of the room at a wooden table was someone in a black button down shirt, blue tie, and neatly kept hair. The person scrolled through a phone and took a lazy sip from a black coffee mug.

“Shouldn’t you be working?” Talyn taunted.

The person in question didn’t even look up at them and continued to swipe their finger over the screen.

“I am off duty for the month." Their voice was not quite monotone, but there was definitely no interest in it. “You know the only reason I’m here is to meet this so called new team member Joan keeps going on about.”

“Yes well,” Talyn looked back at Virgil. “Maybe you should show some manners and say hello?”

This piqued the person’s interest, and they looked up. Virgil’s back straightened, and he swallowed thickly.

“Logan,” Talyn spoke and gestured their hand backward, “meet Virgil.”

Logan’s eye contact was intense. Virgil stopped himself from backing out several times. After a look up and down Virgil’s from, Logan adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat.

“Salutations.”

Virgil quirked a brow and blew a few strands of hair out of his face. “Hey.”

The awkward was so thick it could be used for coffee creamer. Talyn rolled their eyes and walked over to the coffee pot. They poured a styrofoam cup halfway to the top. “Any cream or sugar?”

“I prefer it black,” Virgil responded. Talyn muttered a “suit yourself” before walking back over to Virgil, holding out the coffee for him to take.

It was lukewarm, but otherwise he had no complaints.

“I wouldn’t get too comfortable,” Logan spoke. Virgil stopped mid sip and turned his attention back to Logan. “No offence, but I do not foresee you staying long on our team.”

Me either, Virgil thought bitterly but kept the bitter thought to himself.

“Now don’t be rude,” Talyn spoke, doing their best to sound cross. “He really doesn’t have a say in the matter.”

“No, but you know he will put up such a frivolous display of overcharged emotions it will surely drive Virgil away.”

Virgil quietly wondered who they were talking about but chose to keep the question to himself.

“Well, until then, please do your best to get along,” Talyn sighed and ran a hand down their face. “I’m counting on you-”

“To welcome him with open arms?” Logan rolled his eyes. “Highly unlikely.”

“Yes, well,” Talyn looked at the clock on the wall. They turned to Virgil, who was sure he made the biggest mistake of his life, and continued, “If you want, we can go see if Joan. They should be done with their meeting now.”

“Please,” Virgil sighed. He made brief eye contact with Logan again. Logan quirked a brow and said nothing, instead choosing to resume scrolling through his phone.

Great, his team already hated him and he didn’t even do anything yet.

As they stepped out of the break room, the office noise hit Virgil like a truck once again. He kept his head low and followed Talyn. They passed the front desk and started walking through the hallway with the office doors.

A loud wail shocked Virgil and nearly made him jump out of his skin. He looked over at the door titled “Krys Puffington: Psychiatrist” and tried to reign his heartbeat back in.

Talyn sighed and ran a hand through their hair and muttered, “Poor kid.”

“What?” Virgil spoke without thinking. He chewed on his lip.

“That’s… it’s one of our team members who recently lost someone.”

Virgil’s heart ached for a moment. “Oh.”

“Yeah.”

What a wonderful awkward pause.

“Anyway,” Talyn said and inhaled through their mouth. They walked down two doors and knocked. Virgil noted the name plaque on the door, Joan Strokes, had a sticky note under it with “King of the Joangle” scribbled on it. For some reason, it brought a smile to Virgil’s face.

Talyn knocked twice on the door.

“No, I’ll get it,” a voice called out. “I’m by the door anyway.”

“Oh boy,” Talyn murmured. Virgil opened his mouth to ask a question, but the door opening interrupted him.

The person on the other side of the door stood rigid, mouth agape. Virgil held his breath as they sucked in a deep breath through their nose.

“Oh, hey, Roman,” Talyn spoke, their voice gone from cheerful to apprehensive. “This… this is the new team member that we wanted to introduce you to."

Roman’s expression scrunched into a set jaw and narrowed eyes.

“Get him out of here.”


	2. New Beginnings (Part II)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A disaster. Just a disaster.... with a happy ending thankfully
> 
> \--  
> Chapter warnings: Self-deprecating thoughts, mention of human trafficking  
> Word Count: 1821

Well, that was a great first impression.

“Roman,” a voice scolded from inside the office.

“Don’t you ‘Roman’ me, Joan,” Roman replied, turning his attention back to Joan. “Is this some kind of twisted joke?”

Virgil peeked around Roman and spied a person with dark hair, who he assumed to be his new boss. Joan pinched the bridge of their nose and looked over Roman’s shoulder.

They sighed. “I thought I told you to wait until I was done with Roman.”

“I was,” Talyn replied. “You said ‘Give me a half hour to convince him,’ and it’s been almost an hour.”

“I appreciate your valiant effort,” Roman spoke as he looked at Talyn, “but it was all for naught. I refuse to work with this…”

“Virgil.”

Roman blinked and held back a laugh. Virgil’s neck hairs bristled.

“You’re not even giving him a chance,” Joan called out.

“A chance?” Roman laughed through his nose. “You really think this is what we need? You think this is what Patton needs? He’s been through enough already.”

“Well, that didn’t last long.”

Virgil’s head snapped to the right as Logan approached, coffee cup in hand. Virgil’s nerves kept rising, the urge to bolt making his vision fuzzy.

This… this is exactly how he imagined it to be.

Roman gestured to Virgil. “You knew about this?”

“Don’t be so dramatic,” Logan rolled his eyes. “I just so happened to be in the break room at the right time and was introduced not too long ago. I'm just as shocked as you, but at least I had the decency to be civil. I’m assuming you have some-” he pulled note cards out of his pocket and flipped through them- “salt.”

“Some?” Roman let out a loud ‘ha’ and shook his head. “I don’t want him anywhere near our team.”

“Roman, please,” Talyn spoke as they tried to push between Virgil and Roman, hoping to offer some sort of support. “You… you need to accept what happened and move on.”

“Move on?” Roman’s nostrils flared. “He could very much still be out there and you’re asking me to move on? When I agreed to let a new team member in, I expected a temporary replacement, not some emo carbon-”

A door clicked open beside them.

“Roman, what’s with all the yelling?”

A head poked out of that psychiatrist’s room and glanced at them. From here, Virgil could make out red, puffy eyes behind thick black-rimmed glasses. The person sucked in a deep breath, a hand going up to their mouth. They exited the room, tears traveling down well-defined paths, and let out a short, broken sob.

“I-is that really…” They reached a hand forward, reaching out to Virgil. Senses already on overload, Virgil took a step back. The person stopped in their tracks, their shocked expression melting into hurt. They sniffled. The floating hand raised to double cover their mouth.

“Patton,” Logan spoke, his expression much softer than before. “It’s not…”

“You see?” Roman snapped his head back at Joan. “I knew it was going to upset him. But nooo, no one listens to Roman. He has no idea what he’s talking about.”

Virgil heard Talyn mumble, “What a mess,” under their breath.

“Don’t worry,” Virgil spoke, at last, his voice strong, “I’ll fix your problem and just leave.”

He adjusted the duffel bag strap on his shoulder, turned, and hastened down the hall. A few voices—one he specifically recognized as Talyn’s—called out to him, but he ignored them all. He pushed the button for the elevator and waited. He pushed it again. The light above him lit up, and he stepped through open doors.

Virgil stared at the wall, refusing to look back. Refusing to face rejection again. Refusing to admit everything had happened the way he thought it would. He was still a screw-up. He was still unwanted.

Why did he think he could do this again?

Tears pricked the corners of his eyes. He swiped at them with his sleeve. If there was one thing he hated more than being anxious in front of people, it was crying.

The doors opened. Virgil stepped into the lobby and passed a very confused Frankie. He didn’t acknowledge any of their questions, nor any of the voices that called after him.

The revolving doors spun around him, and he walked out onto the sidewalk. Virgil shoved his hands into his pockets and kept his head low. People walked around him (well, except for the kid who rammed into his shoulder, then blamed it on him.Virgil resisted the urge to flip the kid off.).

His mind raced a million miles a minute. He could barely see the path in front of him.

Of course, it wouldn't work.

Of course, he managed to mess it up.

He didn't even deserve the chance.

Virgil’s foot lingered dangerously on the end of the curb. Cars sped past in a blur, the wind ruffling the hair poking out from his hood. He swayed but caught himself, barely.

Okay, okay, breathe. You've gotten over this before. You can do it again. What do you see?

Virgil looked up; the motion disoriented him. His foot slipped. A horn blared. His body tensed.

The world lurched sideways then twisted backward. Virgil cried out as he landed on something soft. Something that grunted as he landed on it. He stared up at the sky, breathing heavily.

“You- you alright there, kiddo?”

Virgil’s blood rushed through his ears. He swallowed thickly.

Oh… oh god. Did he almost- Had he just-

Hands pulled him up to his feet. Virgil’s head swiveled around. It collided with black glasses, and he felt the corner gash his forehead. The person beneath him cried out as their glasses sat askew on their face.

Virgil pulled himself away. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I-” his voice shook- “I didn’t mean to. I don’t know… I-”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Just breathe. You’re going to be okay.”

Virgil’s eyes connected with concerned brown ones. Their owner backed up and fixed the glasses on their face.

Virgil’s mind lingered at the edge of a thick fog. He chose the person who stopped him as an anchor. Okay, five things I see… a gray cardigan… a blue shirt… black glasses… chestnut brown hair… a kind but sad smile…

He blinked twice and recognized the person as Patton.

“Sorry I touched you without permission, but you almost fell into traffic, and I didn’t want you to get hurt.” Patton’s voice was soft yet scratchy.

“No, it’s fine. I should be thanking you.”

“D’aww,” Patton waved a hand. “No need to thank me. Just doing what any good person should do.”

The phrase brought a smile to Virgil’s lips. He took a deep breath, picked up his duffel bag, and started down the street again.

“Hey, where are you going?” Patton called out.

Virgil shrugged. Where was he going? He couldn’t go back, he knew that much. Rapid footsteps crescendoed behind him, and Patton slowed to walk beside him.

“Where are you going?” Virgil shot back and raised an eyebrow.

Patton looked ahead of them and hummed. “Not sure. Wherever you go I guess.”

Virgil stopped dead in his tracks. Patton slowed his walk to a halt and turned to look at him. A mixed emotion bubbled up in Virgil’s chest; he summarized it as annoyance.

“Why?”

“Well, why not? You’re on my team now,” Patton’s head lowered a bit. “Aren’t you?”

“You heard Roman,” Virgil said and slipped past Patton. He grit his teeth and looked down at the ground. Again, Patton caught up with him.

“Yeah, well… it’s my team too, and I want you to stay.”

“Why?”

“Well, I…” Patton swallowed thickly. “I just don’t think it’s right that you didn’t even get a chance.”

“I’m used to it.”

“Oh,” Patton’s voice tapered off. He took in a deep breath and swallowed thickly. “Well, I want to give you one.”

Virgil half laughed, half held back a sob. “Why? You just saw what a screw up I am. I can’t even walk down the street.”

“Well, there has to be something about you Joan liked,” Patton hummed. “They’re pretty picky with those they let into SIDES.”

“Look, Patton,” Virgil blew the hair out of his face again, “all I wanted was to be...” Appreciated? Respected? Trusted- “...nevermind.”

Patton sighed and chewed on his bottom lip. “I didn’t exactly see myself working there, either. I wanted to make the world a better place, but I didn’t want to hurt people to do it. That’s why this place is perfect. We take care of people, and no one gets hurt.” Patton flinched. “Well, usually no one gets hurt.”

“Sounds great,” Virgil mumbled. He looked over as Patton’s eyebrows creased into a frown. “What?”

“You’re bleeding.” Patton shrugged the backpack off his shoulders. “It must be from when my glasses hit your temple.”

Virgil’s hand raised and touched the sore spot. He pulled away light red fingers and grumbled. “Oh, I guess I am.”

Patton dug around in his bag and pulled out a box. He reached in and pulled out a gray-blue bandaid with… were those cats on it?

“Here,” Patton held the bandaid out to Virgil. “I know it’s probably not your style, but if you want-”

“No thanks.”

“Oh, now come on, Virgil. You don’t want it to get infected, right?”

“What are you, my dad?”

“Well, that’s kinda what people call me.” Patton chuckled.

Virgil rolled his eyes. He watched Patton reluctantly put the bandaid back in its box and return his backpack to his shoulders.

“You sure you don’t want to stick around?”

“Patton, you’re nice and all,” Virgil sighed, “but my mind is made up. I’m going… home.”

“Well,” Patton clicked his tongue. “I can’t stop you, but if you ever feel like you need a place to go, I’m here for you.”

The words made Virgil slow to a halt. He clenched his fists. Who did this guy think he was? Just offering to take care of some total stranger, one that he just saved from a near-death experience, like some sort of guardian angel.

How dare he?

How dare he even think he was worthy of such kindness.

How dare...

But what if… what if…

What if this was his chance? What if this was a sign?

“Hey, kiddo, you okay? You’re-”

Virgil reached up and brushed tears from his eyes. Stupid crying; stupid strong emotions.

“Yeah,” he choked out, then sighed. “Okay fine.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll go with you and be on your stupid team.”

“You… you will?” Patton beamed. “Oh, oh my goodness! This is- I mean- we should probably get you back so you can be fitted for a uniform.”

“Uniform?” Virgil raised a brow.

“Well, yeah,” Patton replied. “It’s a uni-fortunate drawback.”

Virgil blinked. What kind of off-color pun...

He smirked. “It better be black.”


	3. The First Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team goes on their first assignment together. It goes as well as you think it would.  
> \--  
> Chapter warnings: Guns, Injury mention, Mild cussing (one word)  
> Word Count: 2064

“Okay, so here’s the plan.” Roman peered around the corner and back to his team. “I’ll offer a distraction of sorts. Logan, you get in there and do your nerd thing.”

Logan sighed. “I hardly feel this is going to work-”

“It’s going to be fine, Logan.” Roman took in a deep breath. “Patton, they’re going to be scared, so try to keep our hostage calm, and get them out of there as quickly as you can.”

Patton saluted.

“You got it.”

“Good, now on three, we make a break for it. One… two-”

“Hold on a minute.” Virgil looked up at Roman, an eyebrow quirked. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

“Oh yes, how silly of me,” Roman said with a chuckle. “The signal when you get the hostage out is two taps of your com buttons.”

“Wha-”

“Three!”

Roman darted out from behind the wall. He eased to a slow and confident strut as he approached two rather large people playing a game of cards.

“Ahem.” He put his hands on his hips in some sort of princely pose. “Good evening, Stabbington brother understudies.”

The two goons stared at him, their faces twisted in confusion.

“How’d you get in here?”

“You left the back door open. Now, unhand their royal highness, or I will be forced to use… well, force.”

Somewhere off in the distance, Logan facepalmed.

The two goons looked at each other before snickering. One stood from their chair, cracked their knuckles, and smirked. The other reached behind them and sniffled as they rested a rifle on their shoulders.

“Well now, this isn’t a fair fight,” Roman mused. He pulled a sword out from his side.

“Really?” One of them snuffed. “Didn’t your momma teach ya not ta bring a knife to a gunfight?”

“This is no knife,” Roman responded and huffed.

“Whatever,” the other spoke. He opened fire. Roman ducked down behind some crates to his right. After three seconds of rapid firing, Roman laughed.

“Is that all you have?” Roman called out. The shooter sneered, and the other held up his hand.

“Don’t waste ya bullets. I’ll take care o’ prince charming ova there.” He started walking in Roman’s direction.

Roman used the reflection of his sword to spy on him. He looked over at his team’s direction, offered a sly smile, and stood on top of the box.

“Well, I’d hardly call this a fair fight. You’re-”

The crate collapsed beneath him. Roman cried out as he crashed into the splintered wood and felt the wind leave his lungs. He struggled to take in a deep breath. The goon grabbed him by the front of his uniform shirt and dragged him up to their face.

Logan sighed and rubbed his temples. Patton whined beside him and chewed his bottom lip.

“We got to do something,” he whispered.

“I’m working on it-”

Virgil jumped out from the wall quicker than Logan could stop him and darted forward.

“HEY!”

Roman and the goon both looked up at him, both faces frozen in shock. Virgil’s stomach dropped.

“Now there two o’ em?” The gunman growled. He pulled out a communication device from his side. “Boss, we got company!”

“What are you doing?” Roman yelled. Virgil would answer if he remembered. The goon holding Roman flung him backward into Virgil. The two collided and tumbled apart.

Virgil pushed himself up on his hands and knees.

“Saving your ass, what’s it look like?”

“Well you’re doing a great job of it, nightmare in shining armor!” Roman pushed himself up. He looked over as the goon walked toward them, thumping a piece of broken wood from the crate in his hand.

Virgil grabbed Roman’s shirt, pulling them both into an unseen room.

“I’ll take care of Romeo and Juliet,” the weaponless goon spoke. “You scout around and see if there's any more of them.”

The gunman nodded before reloading the rifle. The other strode in the direction Roman and Virgil had vanished.

Logan pressed his back into the wall. He looked around the roof, noting the rafters were visible. His eyes scanned along the wall until they rested on a rickety looking ladder. From the ledge, they’d have the perfect view of that buffoon walking toward them. However, it was risky. There was no cover on the ladder, and if the goon spied them- Logan shook his head. No time to think like that. Calm, clear your emotions-

Logan stood and spied a forgotten set of pipes across the way. He knew his chances of making it out unharmed were slim, but at least the pipes could offer some sort of protection.

“There.” He urged Patton to a standing position and pointed to the ladder. “Get out of sight.”

“But Logan-”

“Go.” He reached over and gripped one of the pipes in his hand. “Tell me when I have a clear shot.”

Patton caught on before tightening the straps of his backpack and climbing the rusted ladder as quietly as possible.

Logan swallowed. If he waited for just the right moment-

The footsteps stopped, and Logan held his breath. A bead of sweat traveled down his face. His heart pounded in his chest, and his eyes darted up to Patton, who hid behind forgotten pieces of lumber.

Patton’s face was frozen in shock, his chest rising and falling rapidly. His eyes shifted from Logan to the gunman and back again.

Logan gripped the pipe tight in his hand, a tiny creak slipping through his fingers.

Patience.

Rubber scraped on cement. He heard the gun click. Logan’s eyes pushed into his peripheral vision.

“Logan-!”

One shot deafened Logan’s entire world.

\--

“Are you insane?!”

“I panicked. I’m sorry.”

“Sorry doesn’t even begin to cut it, Sir Broods a Lot.”

“Will you shut up?”

“I can’t-”

Virgil covered Roman’s mouth, despite the protests. He held his breath. The door to the room creaked open and silenced Roman as well. They both ducked behind cardboard boxes. Virgil let his hand slip away from Roman’s mouth.

“I know you’re in here, so let’s just make this quick and painless, yeah?” the grunt spoke.

Roman wished he picked up his sword from their earlier scuffle. Virgil blew hair out of his vision. His eyes caught a silver glint to his left.

Boxes flipped over, and Virgil flinched. Roman’s hand went to his side and passed through air. He looked down and cursed under his breath.

It was the last sound Virgil heard for an uncomfortably long time.

Three gunshots rang out. A scream followed.

“Patton,” Roman whispered under his breath.

It distracted the goon’s attention long enough for Virgil to grab the crowbar he spied, and he swung it at the goon. It connected with their neck. They cried out before collapsing to their left.

Roman ran past Virgil, jumped over the downed goon, and sped into the hall.

“Patton!” He yelled out. He heard a loud smack before a pained grunt. Roman raced back out into the clearing and saw the gunman down on the floor, Logan standing over them and taking in quick breaths. Logan’s form stiffened.

“Logan, are you okay?” Patton’s voice called out.

“I’m fine.” Logan turned. “Patton, are you hurt?”

“I… he hit me.”

“Where?” Logan made his way to the ladder. “Stay still. I’m coming to get you.”

“My left shoulder,” Patton answered.

Roman hastened forward, stepping over the gunman. He groaned.

“What a nightmare.”

Logan glanced over at Roman before climbing the ladder.

“Glad to see you’re finally making an encore performance. Perhaps you could help us for once.”

“Well excuse me, Dr. Whocares,” Roman put his hands on his hips. “At least I was doing something.”

“Something,” Logan repeated with a low grumble. He got to the top and spied a shaking Patton, who looked white as a ghost. “Easy there, Patton. Remember Dr. Andrew Weil’s breathing technique.”

Virgil stepped out from their hiding spot and stood behind Roman, absorbing the scene.

“Well, this was a trainwreck.”

“You!” Roman turned around, his face red. “This is all your fault! If you would’ve stuck to the plan, we would have gotten the hostage out of this place, Patton wouldn’t be hit, and we would’ve had a happy ending to this mission.”

“Sorry, I didn’t know this was a theater show where you played an obnoxious, self-righteous prick,” Virgil hissed. “Oh wait-”

“Don’t you even dare-”

“Gentlemen, please,” Logan sighed. “Go let Talyn free so we can end this charade. They have to be bored out of their mind by now.”

Roman growled before pushing past Virgil. The latter crossed his arms and grit his teeth.

Some first mission this turned out to be, even if it was only practice.

He heard the door behind them click open, and a loud “finally” echoed through the room. He heard Roman mumbling apologies and several statements throwing Virgil under the bus.

A door to their left opened with Joan clapping slowly in the doorframe.

“Well, you managed to fail so badly I’m wondering if you’re all ready to go back on the force at all.”

Logan whispered to Patton, who sniffled and made his way down the ladder first. Virgil hid his eyes behind his hair, his arms squeezing the air out of his chest. Roman approached with Talyn following close on his heels.

“Joan, please, give us another chance,” Roman spoke.

“Maybe in three weeks when you all go through team bonding sessions with Krys.”

“That’s so unfair!”

“Roman, if this is your idea of a solid mission-”

“Everything was fine until Virgil-”

Virgil snuffed.

“Oh sure, blame the new guy.”

“Guys please,” Patton jumped off the ladder, “let’s just take a few breaths and talk this out nicely.”

“Don’t waste precious oxygen. Obviously logic is out of the equation, Patton,” Logan murmured. Patton moved aside and allowed Logan a spot to land.

“Look,” Joan spoke as they rubbed their neck. “You’re obviously tired and need a break.”

“I need a break-up is more like it.” Roman side glanced at Virgil, who bristled.

“I’m sorry, you wanna speak a little louder for the people in the back?”

“Please,” Joan’s voice raised slightly. “If you’re going to act like children, I’m benching you both on paperwork duty for a month.”

“Perhaps that’s for the best,” Logan spoke.

“You can’t be serious,” Roman groaned as he ran a hand through his hair. “We functioned just fine before. I know I can do this.”

Joan folded their arms. “Can you-”

“Of course! I’m more than qualified to lead my team to victory.”

“-because what I saw was nothing like leading. Roman, you completely ignored Virgil. You raced in without a proper plan. You caused a team member to get injured. You showed me everything a good leader shouldn’t be.”

“Are you saying I should put caution before action?”

“No, what I want from you is someone who puts others before their own ego-”

“I’m not Thomas, okay!” Roman sucked in a breath, his teeth clenched. He swallowed thickly and lowered his head. His voice quivered. “I… I am trying my best here.”

Virgil felt the atmosphere’s pressure dip. Logan’s mouth hung open in slight shock, and Patton sucked in a deep breath as he bit his lower lip. Joan rubbed their temples with their thumb and index finger.

“Okay, okay… all of you, take the rest of the day off. We’ll discuss this tomorrow.”

Roman made his way out first, head down and hands balled into fists. He slammed the door shut behind him, making Joan jump and sigh.

Patton did his best to look at the red spot on the back of his shoulder.

“I guess I should take this to the cleaners then.”

“Probably for the best,” Logan replied. “Paint is hard to get out once it sets.”

“Really? Paint me surprised.”

Logan groaned.

Patton and Logan made their way out of the room together, obviously avoiding the discussion of what happened. Virgil looked over at Joan, who was staring over at an empty space.

“You… you should probably hit the showers too,” Joan spoke as they turned to leave.

Virgil replayed the events over and over before him. He had so many questions, but the biggest one put a dark pit in his stomach. It was one he really didn’t want to know the answer to, but he was sure he’d find out sooner or later.


	4. A Logical Solution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan has an idea to bring the team together. The others offer feedback.  
> \--  
> Chapter warnings: Logan uses big words... I think that's it |D   
> Word Count: 1632

“I really have no idea why you called me over to see this.”

“Oh come on, Logan. It’s so cute!”

“It’s just a common Felis catus. I fail to see the appeal-”

Patton gasped. 

Logan’s shoulders dropped.

“I didn’t mean-”

“Did you see its little pink toes?” Patton squealed.

Logan sighed and shook his head. He left Patton to watch cat videos on his work computer and ignored the pile of paperwork scattered about the desk. Honestly, he’d have to teach Patton how to organize.

He nearly bumped into Virgil. Virgil let out a surprised gasp, and he looked up at Logan through tuffs of unruly hair. 

“Ah, welcome back,” Logan spoke. “After our latest blunder, I was certain you would have handed in your resignation letter.”

“Still considering,” Virgil muttered. He turned into the cubicle beside Patton’s and slouched down at his desk. 

Patton’s head peeked over the wall. “Good morning, Virgil! Ready to start the day off on the right foot?”

Virgil hummed in response. 

“Okay, you have fun over there,” Patton dipped back down. Logan sighed and turned his attention back to Virgil, who had a rather large energy drink on his desk.

“You know, high consumptions of caffeine can lead to strong bouts of anxiety-”

“Thanks, dad.”

“You’re welcome, kiddo!”

“Not-” Virgil pinched the bridge of his nose- “can I just get some alone time, please? I didn’t sleep well.”

“Suit yourself,” Logan said with a shrug. He traveled down the long line of cubicles, mentally reciting the speech he’d written last night. As he reached the doorway, Talyn turned their head and gave him a greeting.

“You look like you’re on a mission,” Talyn spoke.

“Impossible. I’m obviously grounded,” Logan answered. Talyn rolled their eyes and shook their head before going back to work. Logan passed a few doors before stopping at Joan’s. From the other side, he heard two voices.

“Look, Roman, you’re being a bit overdramatic-”

“I am dramatic, but I am far from overplaying this.”

Logan groaned. Of course Roman was in there right now. He raised his hand and knocked twice.

Joan sighed.

“Yes, who is it?” Logan announced himself. “Come on in.”

Logan opened the door. Roman sat on one of the brown chairs, eyes downcast and arms crossed over his favorite white sweater. Joan offered a weak smile.

“What’s up?” they asked.

“With all due respect, I wish to speak to you in private.” Logan’s eyes glanced down at Roman. The latter rolled his eyes and stood up. 

“We’ll talk about this later,” Joan called out, but Roman ignored them as he exited. Logan watched Roman walk down the hall before exhaling through his nose. He pushed his glasses up on his face and sat down on one of the chairs. 

“Please don’t tell me you’re threatening to quit too,” Joan grumbled.

“On the contrary,” Logan replied. “I would like to suggest more time with my teammates.”

Joan raised their eyebrow. “You… you want more bonding time with people?”

“Unimaginably surprising,” Logan agreed, “but even I know a malfunctioning machine needs maintenance.”

“Okay.” Joan folded their fingers together. “My most logical thinking member on Team S wants to have a social get together with people he barely tolerates. Today can’t get weirder.”

“Falsehood. I saw on the news the other day that-”

“No, it’s okay. I don’t need to know.” Joan held their palm up and gave a strained smile. Logan’s weight shifted, and Joan sighed. “That’s the only reason you wanted to talk to me?”

“How does one go about conducting a social gathering?” Logan asked. “I spent a great deal of my time and effort searching through the web for satisfactory ideas involving party planning. My research concluded most gatherings include overbearing music, intoxication games, and other indecent acts not suitable for a productive workspace, or-” Logan paused- “N-S-F-W as I’ve come to understand it’s called.”

Joan swallowed a laugh.

“Logan, you don’t need a party to hang out with your friends.”

“Isn’t that how unwanted social outings work?”

“Geez- no.” Joan rubbed their hands over their face. “Okay, so you like movies, right?”

“Depending on their genre, yes.”

“Well, find a movie you all would like. I know you’d have Patton and Roman the minute you suggested any Disney movie.”

“That might work,” Logan spoke as he rubbed his chin. “Thomas did love planning movie nights for us to get to know each other better. Those two loved them. That leaves us at Virgil. I barely have any sufficient data on his personality or interests.”

“Then ask him.”

“It’s highly unlikely even if I ask that-”

“Logan,” Joan’s smile accompanied an eye roll. “Just talk to him. Be genuine.”

Logan’s stomach backflipped. “I…”

“You’ll be fine. If you need to, recruit Patton.” 

“Yes,” Logan said as he stood. “Thank you for hearing me out, Joan. You’re one of the few people I enjoy conversing with.”

“Thanks.” Joan blinked. “Now, go have fun for once.”

“I have fun,” Logan scoffed and adjusted his tie. He stepped out of the room and almost ran over Roman. Huh, nearly running into two people in one day. That had to be a personal record, even though he had a habit of overlooking people shorter than him… which was mostly everyone. 

“Were you eavesdropping just now?”

“Well I can’t have you quitting first and stealing my thunder,” Roman grumbled. “That said, I think a movie night would be fantastic. It’s been a while since we’ve all been together in a casual get together.”

“Agreed,” Logan took in a breath. “So I’ll count you in?”

“Count me in? We’ll meet at my house! I’ll have popcorn, sodas, cookies, a grand selection of only the best Disney movies they have to offer- which is all of them- and if you want we can even have a sleepover.” Roman clapped his hands. “It’s settled! I’ll go tell Patton.” He set off down the hallway with a slight bounce in his step.

“Fantastic. I’ll alert Virgil.”

“Whoa, hold on there a minute.” Roman turned around. “No one ever said anything about watching Nightmare before Christmas.”

“He is a member of our team, is he not?”

“Well yeah, but there’s no way I’m hanging out with that replacement...” Roman’s words caught in his throat and continued walking away, his steps more sound than before. “The answer is no, Virgil is not coming.”

“Roman-”

“My kingdom, my rules.”

Logan rolled his eyes.

“You’re going to have to give up this silly fantasy that people are trying to replace Thomas with Virgil eventually.”

“When evil triumphs over good.” Roman rounded the corner as Talyn surveyed the argument.

“He really is… something, isn’t he?”

“Something isn’t the word I’d use,” Logan replied. 

“Yeah, well,” Talyn took in a deep breath. “You have to admit, he is persistent.”

“Persistently stubborn.” Logan walked into the cubicle spaces as he heard Patton’s light screech of excitement.

“Yes, oh my gosh, I’m so ready!”

Logan watched as Patton jumped out of his seat and bounced around. Virgil sat on the other side, shook his head, and went back to his work.

“Just remember your allergy medicine. We don’t need a repeat of last time-”

“Oh of course!” Patton looked over Roman’s shoulder and waved. “Oh, Logaaaaan! Hey, Logan! Roman and I are going to have a movie night. You should come!”

Logan smiled. “I am the one who suggested it, actually. I approached Joan with the idea of a team-building exercise including a social-”

“I love it!” Patton looked over his cubicle wall. “Virgil, you should come too!”

“What?” Roman and Virgil both asked at the same time.

“Patton, it’s rude to invite people to other’s houses, especially when they’re not wanted.”

Virgil’s lip curled.

“Who said I wanted to go anyway?”

“Oh, come on.” Patton pouted. “Virgil is one of us now.”

Logan saw an insult forming on Roman’s lips, but Patton’s intense stare pursed them. Roman turned around, stomping his foot on the ground and throwing his hands up in the air.

“You know what? Fine. Virgil, you can come too if you want.”

“Gee, thanks,” Virgil grumbled. 

“Great!” Patton clapped his hands. “It’s settled.”

Virgil’s head popped up.

“Wait, no-”

“I know, I can’t wait either!”

“Patton,” Virgil’s voice broke. “I don’t know-”

“I’ll come pick you up at your place tonight around seven, okay?” 

Logan watched Virgil’s face growing paler by the moment. His lips opened and closed several times before he hid under his hood, a low groan escaping.

Logan piped up, “That’s not necessary, Patton. I’ll pick him up.”

All eyes glanced to Logan.

“You sure?” Patton asked. 

“Positive.” Logan adjusted his glasses. “Besides, I’m sure he could use the extra introvert time to recharge his batteries before a social gathering with you two.”

Patton’s head tilted to the side.

“Well, okay I guess.” He looked up at the clock and bounced on his toes. “Only eight more hours!”

“Seven hours, forty-seven minutes, and five seconds to be exact.”

Roman glared at Logan before sighing and walking to his desk. Logan and Patton both watched him leave before Patton jumped in his chair and turned around. Virgil quietly put his head on his desk with an extended moan.

Logan sighed. He had work to do, and he couldn’t be bothered to try and comfort Virgil or even offer him the chance to back out. That’d take too much effort on his part. Besides, he needed to drum up his own energy. Both his teammates were very good at draining his social battery, and he knew if he wanted to wake up without cat whiskers drawn on his face, he’d be getting plenty of rest in the meantime.

All these icky feelings would just have to wait for now.


	5. Netflix and Chill?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's movie night at Roman's house, but Virgil has to get through some vague backstories to achieve it.  
> \--  
> Chapter warnings: some crying, there's a lot of awkward tension sprinkled throughout  
> Word count: 2011

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while, eh? 
> 
> I'd like to try and get the ball rolling again on this story. I feel weird just letting it sit and rot, knowing how much I have done with it and plan to do with it. This was edited a while ago and I was holding out, but I figured I'd reward y'all for being so patient thus far.
> 
> So, sit back and enjoy some awkward~

Logan was going to question Virgil why he asked to be picked up at a local bus shelter instead of his house, but he decided to leave the question be.

Virgil’s face when he pulled up in a black and blue Bugatti made Logan smile. For some reason, whenever someone found out Logan came from a well off family, they’d ask a bunch of questions about who Logan actually was, but Virgil was more interested in if it was okay to set his dirty duffel bag on the floor.

It was the last thing Virgil said to Logan since he started driving.

Virgil looked more tired than usual. His shoulders slouched as he moved his duffel bag from his lap to the floor and pulled his hood closer to his face, shielding his eyes from Logan’s vision.

“Thanks, I guess,” Virgil mumbled out.

“For picking you up?” Logan asked and raised an eyebrow.

Virgil didn’t answer. Logan took a deep breath and drove away from the stop. The city lights passed by in a blur; some cars blared their horns and others cut them off. Logan kept his cool. Virgil couldn’t help but admire Logan. He’d never be able to drive a car in traffic like this.

The city limits dispersed the long lines of cars, and Virgil watched the skyline disappear in the mirror. He sighed and put on a pair of headphones. How did Logan drive with no music on?

After they exited the suburbs, Virgil pulled his headphones off his ears. He looked over at Logan and spoke, “How far away is Roman’s house exactly?”

“About twenty miles,” Logan answered.

Virgil’s eyebrows rose.

“He drives that far to work every day?”

“Yes.” Logan took in a deep breath. “Roman has never felt comfortable living in the city, despite obviously being a people person.”

Virgil hummed. Out of all of them, he expected Roman to be in the heart of the city, close to an audience to stroke his ego. 

A phone rang. Virgil looked around and saw a cell phone light up in the center unit.

“Who is it?” Logan asked without looking.

Virgil glanced down at the picture on the screen. (Was that a Dalek? Wait, Logan watched Dr. Who?) The name read “Satan” and Virgil couldn’t help but hold in a snort.

“Uh-” he snickered- “the devil?”

“Reject it, please.”

Virgil’s eyebrows popped up as he slid his finger over the red button. Logan’s posture stiffened, his neutral expression replaced with lowered brows and a tight jaw. Virgil opened his mouth to ask but didn’t know how to ask exactly-

“Thank you,” Logan spoke.

“Hm? Oh, no problem.”

Logan drew a deep breath and swallowed hard. Virgil looked away, instead trying to make out the license plates on the cars in front of them. He slid his headphones back on, content to leave Logan to his thoughts.

Eventually, the trees gave way to open fields and farmland. Virgil gazed out at the scenery, the setting sun giving the earth a warm glow. Telephone wires lined the roadside, and a few cows stood at the edge of pastured fences.

Logan slowed down and turned onto a dirt road. Virgil braced himself as the car lurched around, obviously not built for this terrain. They traveled on the road for at least five minutes. 

At the edge of the road, two poles guarded a large fence. A sign hung above, titled “Cinderella Ranch” and swung in the breeze. At the edge of the road stood a house with chipped, white boarded walls. A red roof lined the porch, separating the first and second floor. 

Logan pulled up behind two other cars and parked. He turned off the ignition and sat in the peace for a moment.

Virgil continued to look out the window in awe. He spied a barn across the way. Someone closed the doors, turned, and waved at the car.

Logan stepped outside and closed his door. Virgil followed suit and grabbed his bag from the floor.

“Evening Logan,” the person greeted. 

“You’re here rather late, Valerie,” Logan commented. 

“Well yeah,” she replied. “I covered some of Roman’s chores so he could play...” Her voice trailed off as Virgil came into view. She hummed and offered a smile. “Who’s this?”

“This is a new member of our team,” Logan introduced Virgil.

“Nice to meet you,” Valerie spoke and gave a short curtsey.

Virgil sunk into his hood a little deeper.

“Okay,” Valerie sighed, “I’m going to corral the rest of the horses in. You two enjoy your evening.” She gave a quick nod of her head and returned to her work.

Logan moved toward the house door, and Virgil followed on his heels. The stars looked unreal above him, multiplying in the deep blue sky. Virgil stopped. Crickets started their summer song, and a light breeze blew his hair around. Fireflies illuminated the field, and he heard some sort of frog croaking. 

For once, Virgil felt at peace.

Two knocks shook Virgil from his thoughts. 

“Password?” he heard from the other side of the door.

Logan rolled his eyes.

“Patton-”

“Nope!”

“Patton!”

“Okay, fine.” Patton opened the door and smiled. It widened as he looked behind Logan and spied Virgil. “Come on in!”

Logan sighed. Patton stepped aside and allowed Logan in. Virgil stood in the doorway, taking in the solid oak walls.

“Well, don’t just stand there and let all the cold air out,” Patton spoke. Virgil jumped and muttered a quick apology before walking inside.

The living room was open, all solid wood, like some sort of cabin. A fireplace burned to his right. A red cushioned couch sat against the back wall, and a television set that looked like it belonged in the 90s sat parallel to it. Beside it stood a wooden bookshelf. Pictures covered the walls, documenting Roman’s childhood to present. A doorway across the way lead into the kitchen, and beside it, oak stairs lead up to the second floor. A white cat with brown spots snoozed on one of the steps.

It was… oddly cozy.

“Welcome!” Roman called from the kitchen doorway. He struggled to carry in three bottles of soda, a bowl of popcorn, and a bag of chips that was tucked under his chin.

“Roman, I told you to wait!” Patton scrambled over to him.

“No, no, I got it,” Roman said with a slight grunt. “A good host should never ask their valued guests to do any work.” Patton watched him, his hands still outstretched to help, but he lowered them as Roman safely set the items down on the coffee table in front of the television. Roman stood back and admired his work before clasping his hands together and turning. “So, which movie should we start with first?”

“You think I have the patience to sit through all 730 movies you have available?” Logan asked.

Roman scoffed and Patton giggled. Virgil looked over beside the television and noticed the huge bookcase was filled with movies. 

“Well, what’s something we can all enjoy?” Patton asked.

Roman rubbed his chin and looked at Virgil. “I’d ask, but I highly doubt you’d know any Disney movies.”

“Actually, I love them.”

“I knew-” Roman’s breath caught- “wait, you do?”

Virgil rolled his eyes. “Well, yeah. What, you think just because I’m all dark and broody that I wouldn't enjoy them?”

Roman’s lips pursed together, and he cleared his throat. “Yes, well, I have quite a selection here. Why don’t you pick one?”

Logan raised a brow as Patton’s eyes glanced between Roman and Virgil, a wide goofy grin on his face. Virgil walked through the room, noticing the low thump his black boots made on the wooden floor, and glanced at the movies.

Most of them were VHS tapes, but the two top shelves held DVDs. They ranged from the newest superhero movies to live action classics to the first hand drawn movies. As he rescanned the selection, this time paying attention to the titles, a particular VHS tape caught his eye. He reached forward and pulled it from the shelf. God, he hadn’t seen this movie in ages! He ran a finger over the golden text, appreciating the composition of the front cover. 

“How about this one?” he asked and looked up. The others didn’t respond. Virgil panicked. He put the video back. “Sorry, I’ll pick another one.”

“No, it’s fine,” Patton held up his hands. “It’s just-” 

“-that was his favorite,” Roman concluded. 

Virgil wanted to ask, but his gut told him he knew the answer.

“You mean Thomas’s favorite?”

“Yes,” Logan answered as Patton wiped tears away. “It’s ironic, out of all those movies, you happened to pick Aladdin.”

Virgil’s chest tightened. He wanted to know so much about this Thomas, why they were all so against him being on the team- well maybe not Patton- why they kept comparing him to Thomas. However, he also didn’t want to push them. The last thing he wanted to do was drive more people away.

“What can I say? I have a strange talent for making people sad,” Virgil grumbled. He looked at the movies again, his gut dropping to the floor. “How about you guys pick something.”

Roman hummed and stood next to Virgil. His eyes skimmed over the movies. He picked up a rather dusty DVD case and turned it over in his hands. Virgil looked over Roman’s shoulder.

“Treasure Planet?” Virgil asked with a raised eyebrow.

Patton gasped.

“Oh my gosh, Roman, it’s perfect!”

“You mean the movie very loosely based on the classic “Treasure Island” by Robert Louis Stevenson?” Logan asked. “Isn’t there a better one that we-”

“Oh come on, Nerdflix,” Roman twisted the DVD in his hand and sang, “It takes place in space.”

Logan paused.

“Fine.”

Patton squealed as he jumped on the couch, plopping down right in the middle. Roman opened the DVD player and popped in the CD. He took his spot next to Patton, spread his right arm across the couch top, and crossed one leg loosely over the other.

Virgil and Logan stood staring at the couch, both acutely aware there was only one spot left.

“You go,” Virgil said and took a seat on the floor. 

“Oh, come now,” Roman mused. “Back in the day we always shoved four people on this couch. I know it looks rickety, but it’s never failed me before.”

Logan sighed and sat on the far right end of the couch. Patton scooted closer to Roman and patted the spot between his and Logan’s leg. Virgil swallowed thickly.

“I don’t like tight spaces,” Virgil mumbled.

“Well, we won’t make you, kiddo,” Patton replied, though Virgil could see the hurt in his eyes. “But if you change your mind-”

“Thanks,” Virgil smirked, “ I got it, dad.”

Patton beamed. The DVD menu roared to life, and Logan reached over to turn the lamp light off. 

As the movie played, Virgil couldn’t help but sneak glances over at the other three. Patton leaned against Roman’s chest, and Roman had his cheek resting against Patton’s head. Logan had slid closer to Patton, not as intimate as the other two, but still touching Patton’s leg with his. 

Virgil smiled. After a few seconds, the high wore off, and a new feeling gutted his heart out. He thought about somehow sliding onto the couch, but they were all so peaceful, all so reliant on each other, almost like a family. He couldn’t break that up.

And yet…

The odd part of the movie, the one with a music video practically pasted in the middle, began to play. Virgil listened to the song’s lyrics. He connected with Jim’s character before, but this was the icing on the cake. 

He caught Roman looking at him from his perch atop Patton’s head. Roman gave a wink and looked back at the movie. Virgil creased his brow, but then realization hit him. He turned back to the television.

Roman had known exactly what he was doing when he picked this movie.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on Tumblr @anxious-ball-of-sunshine
> 
> Thank you for reading! <3


End file.
